The match had been billed as a potential Championship decider and France turned in a performance worthy of champions with two tries in three first-half minutes from William Servat and Yannick Jauzion putting them in the driving seat.

Full-back Clement Poitrenaud crossed after the break and despite David Wallace hitting back for the visitors, Ireland's decade of misery in the French capital continued.

However Declan Kidney's side did make a bright start to the game enjoying some early possession and only a cruel stroke of luck denied them the game's opening score.

Centre Gordon D'Arcy chipped over the top of the defence but just when the ball seemed set to bounce into his hands it squirmed out of his grasp as France held on.

Ireland though soon became their own worst enemies as prop Cian Healey was sent to the bin for an early tackle with scrum-half Morgan Parra adding further punishment with a well-struck penalty.

Kidney's side would pay the price for further indiscipline when Jerry Flannery's reckless trip on Vincent Clerc saw referee Wayne Barnes reverse a penalty decision in favour of France - Kidney though was relieved his hooker was not also sent to the bin.

France would take advantage of their numerical superiority as they put the squeeze on a series of close-range scrums before Imanol Harinordoquy picked and drove and Servat touched down next to the post. Parra converted.

Fly-half Ronan O'Gara immediately reduced the deficit with a penalty but on 32 minutes France got their second try.

While their first try owed it all to the forwards, this one was engineered by the backs with Mathieu Bastareaud and Parra superbly combining to put Jauzion over with Parra's conversion giving the hosts a commanding 17-3 half-time lead.

France remained in control in the early stages of the second half - helped in part by a series of Irish handling errors.

They deservedly got a third try on the hour mark. Bastareaud - the two-try hero in the victory over Scotland - had been relatively quiet but it was his run and superb offload that allowed Poitrenaud to touch down.

Ireland were able to force a consolation try when Brian O'Driscoll's break paved the wave for Wallace to barge his way over. O'Gara converted to make it 10-27 but any hopes of a comeback were soon snuffed out.

Parra's penalty on 70 minutes took France past the 30-point barrier and the party pieces started coming out as replacement Frederic Michalak struck a drop goal to the delight of the Stade de France.

Ireland's 15-month unbeaten run is at an end while France are looking irresistible with a trip to the Millennium Stadium next up.